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Seeds

The misunderstanding with sowing and reaping comes from the idea that if you sow into someone they should react, be deserving, and acknowledge the word. There is a difference between forcing your belief system on someone, and sowing Kingdom seeds into the lives of those around you.First things first, the idea that you, or I, or them, are right is the root of the problem. If God is constantly moving forward and revealing more of his character every day then I have to accept that what I believe today may not be relevant tomorrow. This previous statement dispels the whole idea of right and wrong. As I have stated before, it’s all about the relationship between you and the Father, and you and the world. Seeking new understanding constantly and opening yourself up to the forward motion of relationship as opposed to the stagnant water of religion is the reality behind a Kingdom life.
When I was in High School, I was cruising down Main Street on Friday night in the small town I grew up in. A certain religious group was standing on the corner with a large speaker and a microphone. They were pointing at me driving by and yelling, “you sinner, you are going to Hell!!”. Needless to say, that lit me up a bit. Being a young man of unharnessed passion and limited understanding, I reacted with a few choice words of my own. Looking back, I can’t help but question the idea that these men were doing what they thought would bring life. However, I still believe that if a sensible man had thought through that tactic of bringing people to Jesus he would have thought twice. This is a good example of religion getting in the way of God. Sowing seeds begins with relationship and ends with relationship.
The picture we have seen in the past is a man wearing a cross around his neck, a Bible under his arm, and a smile on his face, calling everyone brother and speaking of Jesus and repentance. This might have worked in the 60s, but now people see through the smile, and run from the façade. In a world where everyone has a bad taste of religion in their mouth, the last thing they want is the fake suit telling them Jesus loves them. People have to see love in order to react to love. (Please understand that I am not putting those men down, they served a purpose and saved many souls.) Things have moved forward and seeds do not take root well in old hard ground.
Many things in our lives kill the seeds we plant before they have any time to grow roots. Look at our unshakeable belief systems, or our impatient minds, and most of all our expectations. We expect certain things from people when we plant seed into their lives. We might expect them to change, or acknowledge the effort we put forth. The problem is that those very actions destroy anything God has given us opportunity to put there. Look at a seed that does not have the cultivation of a farmer involved in its life. The apple falls from the tree, it’s carried off by a raccoon and eaten, and then the seeds are deposited in the feces and allowed to take small root in the forest floor. All forms of fruits, vegetables, grains, etc…. grew successfully before modern technology of planting and harvesting. God created the earth to reproduce and sustain. God also gives us a moment, a word, and a slightly open heart in which to drop a seed. It is not our responsibility to make sure that seed becomes a tree.
The anatomy of a spiritual seed has to be viewed as something that brings life to someone and helps to bridge the gap between them and their relationship with the Father. As I stated before, planting seeds begins with relationship, and that is the relationship you have between you and God. Religion gets in the way of those seeds because you can’t help but place judgments of right and wrong on people, and instead of sowing the right seed you try to sow the seed you see fit based off your judgments. People aren’t stupid and they see right through and recognize judgment. Any man saved or not will recognize God in a statement, and choose whether to accept it or push it away.
We have to trust in God to cultivate the seeds we sow, and believe that he knows what he’s doing. Our job is to cultivate our own relationship with the Father and those around us so that we recognize those moments of opportunity and utilize them. We have to quit letting religion and ourselves kill the seeds God wishes to use us to plant. Finally, we have to quit trying to force the fruit to grow. First, speak into the lives of those around you by your life, and then you might get a chance to plant a seed in theirs. Remember, it is the very imperfections in you that open doors in those around you. This is how a person changes the world.

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2 thoughts on “Seeds”

With all that said, how we live our lives through our relationship with God is paramount. I’m not talking about living perfect lives or lives that follow a list of rules and regulations. If our lives are the living testament that God is writing right now, then our honesty and transparency as we aggressivively seek the Lord and cultivate our relationship with him will speak volumes to a dead and dying world. It will speak reality and hope as we continue to strive to produce life.